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Member Rehearsal Tools

Rehearsal Tools

(See Rehearsal Files below)

You can download a free copy of the vanBasco "Karaoke Player" which works very well for playing midi rehearsal files. They also have a decent search engine for finding free midi files (in parts!) for rehearsal purposes.
Click here for a free download!
Get vanBasco's Karaoke Player NOW - totally FREE!

Note for Vista users: Install the player from an id with Administrator privileges. When you run the installer "vkaraoke.exe", please right-click it and choose "Run As ..." and then select an administrator account.

When you launch a midi file with the Karaoke Player, you will see several windows. One of them is the 'Midi Output' window...
image of application window
...which shows the various electronic "instruments" that the midi file was recorded with. Choral rehearsal files are often recorded so that each different voice part is represented by it's own instrument (and it's not always a voice, it could be a trombone or clarinet or whatever). In the example above, the 7-part a capella Biebel Ave Maria is recorded with various electronic wind and string instruments representing the different voice parts. In this case the first choir tenor I part is represented by the Recorder.


One other thing to know: There are two columns of buttons down the left side, red and gray. Here is a shot of the Midi Output window showing the 4-part Bach Motet #6 (where Sop/Alto/Tenor/Bass are all recorded as "Choir Aahs" instruments)...
image of application window
If you click the gray button (as I have done next to my Tenor part), it will "light up" and that particular part will play louder than the other parts so you can hear it better for rehearsal. You can also click the red buttons to turn off all but, say, your part and the organ accompaniment. There's another window that pops up that allows you to play with speed, volumne (and even pitch!).

Caveat: These files are recorded by volunteers, often amateurs, who may or may not be working off the same score as you are. If you hear a note that just doesn't seem right, it probably isn't ... don't learn the wrong note! -- just let us know and maybe we can fix it. ;-)

MIDI Rehearsal Files

Composer Title Concert Comments
Bach, J.S. Lobet Den Herrn (Motet #6) Spring 2008 (Not checked for accuracy)
Gorczycki, Grzegorz In Virtute Tua Domine Spring 2008 (Checked)
Mendelssohn, Felix Hear My Prayer Spring 2008 (Not checked for accuracy)
Pitoni, Guiseppe Cantate Domino Spring 2008 (Checked)
Zingarelli Go not far from me, O God Spring 2008 (Checked)
Houston, Seth Desert Sorrow in F Minor Spring 2008 (Checked)
Mendelssohn, Felix Lift Thine Eyes Spring 2008 (Checked)
Thomson, Virgil My Shepherd Will Supply Spring 2008 (Checked)
Houston, Seth Smear Spring 2008 (Checked) Updated 2/6/08 for faster version.
Christiansen, Olaf Who Shall Ascend Spring 2008 (Checked)

After you install the VanBasco player, clicking on one of the links in the above table should play the song in the Karaoke Player window. If it does not (for instance if it plays in the Windows Media Player or it plays using Quicktime), try re-installing the player and make sure the following items are checked when you get to this install dialog:
image of install panel
...If it still doesn't play using the Karaoke player, please
contact us and we'll figure out how to correct your browser settings for you.


P.S. If you're really into this midi stuff, there is a pretty good free Midi editor here: www.anvilstudio.com. Also, for the adventurous among you, there are ways to convert a midi file to a wave file for burning onto a CD. There is information about this at the VanBasco FAQ page.

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